Web Strategies: What we can learn from big and small papers

With circulation numbers declining, many newspapers have looked at ways to gain readership among young people. According to a 2004 report by the Newspaper Association of America, only 53% of all adults in this country read a daily newspaper, down from 81% in 1964. Only 40% of those surveyed between 18 and 24 reported reading a newspaper daily in 2004. Instead, many young people use the Web as a primary source for information and entertainment. If newspapers could harness this power, instead of seeing it as a threat, they could avoid the death of newspapers.

While one cannot tell whether newspapers' Web strategies will succeed in the long run, an analysis of the way different newspapers use the internet can provide a comparison and perhaps insight into what works best. For this study, I created criteria based on usability studies conducted by Jakob Nielsen and guides on writing for the web and perform a qualitative content analysis of newspaper websites. I looked at elements such as organization, use of graphics, use of hyperlinks, scannability and interactivity.

To provide comparisons among newspapers of different sizes, I analyzed a national paper, USA Today; a large metropolitan paper, the News & Observer in Raleigh; and two small local papers, The Herald Sun and The Roxboro Courier=Times. Although smaller newspapers may have more limitations, I think all newspapers, both large and small, can learn from each other what works best when posting information to the Web.

Reflections on my own writing

• How has your writing changed (hopefully for the better) since the beginning of the course?

My writing has changed in that I've begun writing shorter paragraphs. I still need to write more concisely, though. I need to utilize my journalistic writing style when writing for the web. I get carried away with the sense of freedom - no page limitations! I also need to practice more what I preach. I felt I learned a lot about what makes a website good, but did not always put that into practice. Some of that was due to technology (or skill) limitations, but some of it could have been remedied. I could have used more bulleted lists and headers.

I still don't know how to show only one paragraph and link to the rest of a post. Nor do I know how to underline or bold words (my style bar doesn't show up on Safari, for some reason.) I did, however, learn to link, which was very exciting.

• What have you learned in the course that you think will prove most useful?

I think the elements of good web design have proved most useful. Even though we did not learn HTML or Dreamweaver or the like, we did learn what strategies work best, and the rest is cake.

An internet match made in heaven

Brand Building
eHarmony.com is geared to an audience of marriage-ready singles who have had little success with other dating techniques. By using this service, the commercials will have you believe, you can find the love of your life much faster than you would by waiting in a bar. In fact, eHarmony claims “more marriages per match than any Online Dating Personals Service.”

eHarmony’s brand is so strong, it has spawned a few imitators, or at least people who wish to piggyback on the success of the company’s brand. Two other sites, e-Harmony.com and Harmonysingles.net, which actually uses the eHarmony logo and the words eHarmony.com across the top of the homepage.

Advertising strategies
In 2004, eHarmony launched a new ad campaign featuring users of the site who had found true love. The TV ads show different couples with their names and the date they were married. They also stress the difference between eHarmony and other online dating services. The people in the commercials say they like it because it’s not competitive and you don’t have to present yourself through a witty paragraph “for all the world to see.”

"This Will Be (An Everlasting Love)" sung by Natalie Cole plays in the background of the latest ads. The founder, Dr. Neal Clark Warren appears and tells you why eHarmony is better than all the rest. “At eHarmony we know that the secret to magical moments like these is based on matching the very deepest dimensions of compatibility,” he says. “So that when you fall in love, you know it has the depth and richness to last a lifetime.” He claims that he has identified the 29 “deep” dimensions that determine compatibility. If you’ve been disappointed by other online dating sites, eHarmony is the one for you, he says.

“I was just smitten right then and there. That was the moment,” says Ben.

Multiplatform approach
Donat/Wald handles eHarmony’s TV, print and web advertising. According to its website, the company specializes in brand building and direct response advertising. The company boasts its “multiplatform approach,” of TV, print and web advertising. The site claims that its advertising has propelled eHarmony to the top of the list for marriage-minded singles. With more than 6 million clients, it says, eHarmony has become one of America’s fastest growing brands.

Online strategies
In November, eHarmony teamed with Gannett, the owner of USA Today and other major papers nationwide, to localize their online personal service.
USAtoday.com features eHarmony at the top of its menu bars, above the USA Today logo. If you click on the link, it will take you to a page to set up your own FREE Personality Profile. The page even contains a cute little photo of Jill and Doug, engaged September 5, 2003.

Room for improvement
Though the partnership with USAtoday.com was brilliant, eHarmony could do more to connect with their core audience: young singles hoping to settle down. Since these are the people least likely to read the newspaper (young people, that is), there may be better ways to reach their audience. Here are some suggestions:

• advertise on popular web-based email servers, like Hotmail or Yahoo.
• advertise at bars, where single people can grow frustrated (according to their ads).
• advertise on buses, subways and trains.
• advertise in magazines – I think 20 and 30-somethings are more likely to pick up a magazine than a newspaper.
• Listen to criticisms.

Art galleries on the web

Since I am interested in art and have visited galleries in New York, Paris and London, I looked at the websites for the Guggenheim, the Louvre and The National Gallery (in England). Despite the fact that all of these websites promote visual art (or perhaps because of this), they all look surprisingly different. Guggenheim has an entryway where a visitor can choose which site they want to access: New York, Bilbao, Venice, Berlin or Las Vegas. The Louvre has a small central photo, with a menu board on the left and entry points running through the middle. The National Gallery's website is much busier than both, with lots of text, one central graphic and at least four thumbnail pictures. I will expand upon these descriptions below, as I examine how these galleries serve their publics through the internet.

The Guggenheim

After choosing the New York site at the Guggenheim, a more traditional menu of options appears. A banner across the top includes links to "Exhibitions,"Collection Online," "Education/Programs," "Shop Online," "Membership/Sponsorship" and "Visit Us." These six categories (complete with appealing picture!) identify the gallery's publics. For instance, "Education/Programs" provides information for those seeking educational opportunities at the gallery, and that category is further broken down into subcategories, including sections for educators and students (clearly labeled "for students" and "for educators"), families and tours, courses or lectures. There is also a section on how to "Get Involved," which provides information (with separate links) on internships, a docent program and volunteering.

Below the main menu banner, the website contains additional headings, such as "The building," "Calendar," "Press Office," "Corporate Entertaining," "Resources" and "Contact Us." I am particularly impressed with the Press Office page, because it features the names, addresses, phone numbers, faxes and email addresses of the various press contacts. Giving the names of the press contacts gives the Press Office a more personal feel and allows a journalist or other user to ask for a person by name, rather than calling a number. Recent releases appear on the left hand side, completely separate from the contacts, with a sliding bar. They are labeled by date and headline and each headline links to the release.

The museum encourages repeat visits to its website through features like E-cards, where a user can send a number of different cards via the internet. By virtue of its rotating exhibits, the museum has a built-in mechanism to attract repeat visitors. To ensure that they keep coming back, the website features the exhibits prominently. Also, the collections online allows users to peruse the old and the new on the website, in the middle of the night, in their underwear. The calendar section also encourages repeat visitors, because it provides useful information that is constantly changing.

Overall, the Guggenheim gets an A+ for identifying and serving its publics. It even has a search function, which I really like!

The Louvre

At the Louvre site, my attention was first caught by the scrolling text at the middle top of the screen. The text announces the current exhibits, such as one of art from Romanesque France, one featuring Islamic Art from the MET and another with art from a draughtsman at the Medici court. Below the text is a photo of the Louvre, broken into three segments. All of this takes place on a blue background and a large Welcome to the Louvre Museum is placed beneath the photo. Below that is a small list of options, including Site Map, CyberLouvre, Partners, Companies, and Press Office. (There is also an option to display the site in French, Spanish or Japanese - I chose English.)

On the left, a menu offers choices on a different colored background, such as a virtual tour, the history of the Louvre exhibitions, guided tours and education, as well as a separate section on information: latest news, practical information, contact us, publications and databases. Like the Guggenheim website, the Louvre provides links for those interested in what exhibits are showing, what events are at the auditorium, what educational opportunities exist and what's new. I don't like the setup quite as much, but it still gets the job done.

The information provided in the section on temporary exhibitions is presented in a much more visual way. An example from the exhibit appears in a thumbnail, with the dates and title of the show underneath. This gives the user the most pertinent information, and they can click on the thumbnail to learn more. Once clicked on, the link provides a short description, as well as a link to a PDF version of a press release on the exhibit. Unfortunately, I cannot compare the education link to that of the Guggenheim, because the information is available only in French. It appears, however, that the information is broken down, like in the Guggenheim site, for different users.

The Louvre's website also invites repeat visits because of its changing exhibits. Since the most recent appear scrolling across the top, this allows a user to easily see what's new since they last visited. The auditorium also links to calendar of events at the Louvre.

The Press Office of the Louvre is a lot less pretty than Guggenheim's. Even though it states, "Welcome to the Press Office, a section principally devoted to the service of journalists," it seems a lot less user friendly. The information is broken down into these categories: current events, archives and press contacts. Each heading (listed vertically) is followed by a list of links to subcategories. The press contacts appear to be emails for individuals, but they are not accompanied by names or phone numbers. There is a note, however, that press contacts are listed on every release, all of which are available in PDF form.

The Louvre website gets an A for serving its publics. While it provides easy-to-find information, I find it lacking in terms of looks. And, while it has a site map, it has no search function.

The National Gallery

The National Gallery website is heavy on text and a bit busy. The white background hinders more than it helps. It also doesn't utilize a visual hierarchy of information, like the Guggenheim or Louvre site. It seems a bit scattered. Two prominent headings appear at the top: Permanent Collection and Exhibitions. A search function and a link to a site map appear above those. Below the "Permanent Collection" is a photo of the "Painting of the Month." Under "Exhibitions" is a photo and a link to two specific exhibitions. Below that is another header: "News," with two stories and a link to "more news ..." On the left side of the homepage, a menu appears (on the same white background) containing such options as Home, Collection, Exhibitions, What's On, Plan Your Visit, About the Gallery, Education, On-Line Shop Site, Jobs, Support the Gallery and Contact Us. The site also has flags, to represent different language options.

Like both of the previous sites, this site identifies its publics by their interests, i.e. education vs. new exhibits. Once you click on "education," the page is segmented into sections like "Teachers' Resources" and "Familes & Young People." As someone who undertook the job search only a few years ago, I appreciated the section on Jobs, which provided info on jobs at the gallery and with the National Gallery Company. This is something that was more or less lacking in the other sites.

One of the features I really enjoyed was the "Art Action Zone," specifically the Noisy Paintings page. I highly recommend this activity, and this is something kids (and adults) can keep coming back to to amuse themselves. Like the E-card function at the Guggenheim, you can send your noisy painting to someone online.

One advantage to journalists is that this site provides news up front. If journalists want more, they can simply click on "more news ...", which includes a selection of stories. There is also a place to subscribe to E-news, where users can have gallery news emailed to them. One thing that's missing, however, is a link to the press page on the homepage. Once you click on "Contact Us," a link for press appears. Once you click on that, the latest news appears, followed by archives and contact information says only "press office" and carries with it no name. There is a name, however, assigned to the woman in charge of the Press Office Image ARchive, for which it turns out, you need a login name and password. If you call or email Louise Butler, she can help you out.

I'd give The National Gallery a B+ on their website, due to its visual design. While most of the information is visible and useful, users have to hunt for it a little more.